Combined rail-joint and tie-plate.



1. A HYLE.

COMBINED RAIL JOINT AN TTTTTTTTT IIIHII W m H UNITED sT s P T OFFICE.

JACOB A. HYLE, or CHICAGO, rmivors, ASSIGNOB or own-HALF T0 JOHN n swnnivnv,

,or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 1

COMBINED RAIL-JOINT ,nivn rm-rrin'rn.

Specification of LcttersPatent. Ratentefl 1917,

Applicationfiledflctober 26, 19 16. Serial No. 127,8 13.

and thoroughly eificient rail joint and tieplate, so constructed as, to efi'ectuallyeprevent the pounding or. jarring of the rolling stock in passing over the rail ends, since this device will atall times serve to retain the ends of. the rails in a level and even p0- sition,.and atthe same time possesses maximum strength.

A further ,object of the invention is to combinecwith the railjoint a double tieplate adapted to rest upon two supporting ties, thereby. constituting a. bridge plate of metal upon which .themeetingends of the track railsare restedf and firmly securedto the railway ties, in' connection with splice or fish-plates,veach of said plates being provided with .a central depending portion adapted to embrace the lower or base flange of the track rail and the outer and under side portion of'the bridge or tie-plate, and with a portion extending from either side of said central portion adapted to overlap the end ofeach track rail and rest in contact with the tread and also the base portion of the rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a three-piece joint of drop forged steel having interchangeableangle bars or fish-plates so constructed as to overlapthe central, underside recessed portion of ,the base or tie-plate whereby the up and down bouncing movement of. the joint and rails is avoided, and, sliding or creeping of the track rails is prevented,fthe said base or tieplate having means serving to retain the 'railsalways to their proper gageand prevent their sidewise shifting out of alinement.

The foregoing and such other objects as may appearjfrom the ensuing description are attained by means hereinafter more fully v described, and by the combination, construction, arrangement. and location of'ithe parts suchas illustratediinfithe accompanying drawings andparticularly set-forth in the claim appended-hereto.

.Reference now. being had to theaccom- .panying drawings which form .a'v part of this specification and inwhichsimilarnumerals of reference Zindicate like parts throughout theseveral views, it willsbeseen that :Figure 1 ,'is a side elevation of thecombined rail joint and tie. or. base-plate em bodying myinvention.

.Fig. 2, is aplan View of the same.

:Fig. 3,'is a..plan..view of the under. side ofthe base or tie-plate.

Fig. 4, is a transverse sectional ..view taken-ion the line 4-4, looking .in the direction of the.arrow,.F.ig. 1, an

' Fig.- .5, is a transverse "sectional view taken on the line5-'-.-5,i Fig.1.

The preferredconstruction of. my invention is embodied in the form illustrated in the drawings, whereinl, 1, designates the adjacent ends of two ordinarytrack-rails which are united. bythe joint .at a point substantially at the central longitudinal portion of a base or tie-plate'2, constituting a bridge piece, having a ,central' section 3 provided at each side thereof withopposite elongated notchesorrecesses 4, 4, and having. a plurality of longitudinal depending strengthening ribs' 5'5, arranged between the two supporting ties and serving to properly space the ties apart. Theplate 2.

is also provided with'two broad endsections 6, 6, which are wider than the base flanges of the rails, extending over and adapted to be secured.v togthei ties, each' of said sections projecting at, both of its side margins outsideof or beyond the side margins of said baseflanges. Each of'the sec- .tions 6, 6, is provided with a plurality 3 of integral upwardprojections 7, two ateach side terminating at'the outer edge thereof, and one neareach end, eachfprojection being semi-circular in form, the upper surface being inclined in an upwardjand outward direction, and withineach of said projec-' tions 7 is an opening 8 through which the rail securingspikes are driven.

- lt will be seen that the projections? formed on the plate 2, are 'so located and arranged on the plate that the inneredges of said projections are adapted to contact with the outer side edges of the base of the track rail, and serve to keep the track rails in true gage and prevent the outward spreading of the rails. By this construction of plate the ties are also held securely in the position in which they are placed, while the ribbed bridge portion is sufficiently strong, in connection with the angle bars or fish plates, to withstand the weight of the rails and train and transmit it to the ties. V

The numeral 9 designates the angle-bars or -fish-plates which are alike for both sides of the rails and are adapted to fit at their upper margins against the under surface of the rail-treads and at their lower margins against the top surfaces of the base-flanges of the rails, and the said fish-plates are securely clamped to the rail by the several track bolts 10, and securing nuts 11. At their central parts the said fish-plates are provided at their lower margins with outwardly and downwardly inclined project 7 ing portions 12 which embrace the outer edges of the said base-flanges and the outer edges of the recessed central section 3 of the base or tie-plate 2, their outer marginal parts 13 being directed horizontally inward, so as to extend beneath to overlap and engage the adjacent marginal parts of the said base or tie-plate which is made narrower at its central section than the end portions thereof. The notchesor recesses 4, 4, formed in the sides of the base or tie-plate are made of substantially the same length as the downwardly projecting portions 12 of the fish-plates, so that the end surfaces 14, 14 of the said portions 12 abut against or contact with the shoulders 15, 15, formed at the ends of the said notches 1, 4, thereby constituting an interlocking connection between the two fish-plates and the base or tieplate, and preventing'the creeping or running action of the rails or any relative end- -wise movement thereof.

Each end portion of the fish-plate 9 which overlaps the track rails is cut away or narrowed, so that the lower flanges will rest in contact inside of the outer side margins'of the base flanges of the rails in order to' expose the projections 7 formed on the base plate 2, thereby permitting the fastening spikes to be driven therethrough in contact with the margins of the rail-flanges, since it will be seen that the inner edge of each of the spike openings 8 terminates in alinement with the inner edges of each of the projections 7.

It will be perceived that the fish-plates 9 are slightly inclined upwardly and inwardly from their base to the top portion thereof, and. surrounding each of the portions which are weakened by punching out openings for the fastening bolts, is formed an excess of metal for reinforcing said portions to avoid breakage at said points, said excess of metal thickening and thereby strengthening the plates 9 at the points 16, and extending around each bolt opening to a point at the lower end of each opening thereby serving to strengthen the plates at said points 16, and at the same time present a vertical face to receive a washer 17 which is secured in contact with the vertical face by the securing nut 11.

While the fastening spikes ordinarily employed in fastening the rail joint and base plate to the ties may be utilized, I preferably use a screw-threaded spike 18, having a rounded head portion 19, the under side of said head portion. being inclined or beveled upwardly, and adapted to be snugly seated in contact with the upper inclined surface of the projection 7, and the inclined upper surface of the track rail base. The upper terminal of each spike is provided with a square portion 20 adapted to receive a wrench or other suitable tool for the removal or insertion of the spike, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, of the drawings.

It will beseen that at each side of the inclined dependingportion 12 of the fishplates, is a lateral extended shouldered portion 21, serving to reinforce said depending portion and to prevent accidental breakage or severance of the portion 12 at the point where it overlaps and interlocks with the outer margin of the rail base and the base or tie-plate, when subjected to the heavy strain caused by the travel of the rolling stock over the rail joints.

It will beobvious that slight changes in the detail of construction herein referred to may be resorted to without. departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination with the track-rails and cross-ties, of a tie-plate having a central reduced section provided with a plurality of solid integral depending strengthening ribs, and two broad end sections each having a plurality of upward projections formed at each side of the plate with inclined upper surfaces and a spike hole formed therethrough, the inner edge of each projection terminating in alinement and contact with each outer edge of the rail base and the outer edge of each projection terminating in 'alinement with the outer side edge of the tie-plate, and two fish-plates clamping against the opposite sides of the rail, each fish-plate being inclined inward and upward from its base, the central portion of each fish-plate having a downwardly inclined de-' pending portion adapted to embrace the outer edge of therail base and tie plate and terminating beneath in contact with the lower surface of the central reduced section of the tie-plate, each fish-plate having a of the bolt openings in each of the fish laterally extended reinforcing shoulder plates and adapted to form a Vertical face formed at each side of its lower embracing thereon around each bolt opening. portion, and an excess of metal constituting 5 a strengthening portion surrounding each JACOB A. HYLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

